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GREY'S ANATOMY: "THESE TIES THAT BIND", "ALL BY MYSELF", "BEAT YOUR HEART OUT"


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GREY'S ANATOMY: "These Ties that Bind", "All By Myself", "Beat Your Heart Out"

USA2009(41 min)

Season five of the hit television drama Grey’s Anatomy on ABC featured a guest heart surgeon Dr. Dixon, played by Mary McDonnell, who lives with high functioning Asperger’s Syndrome. Not well received by the autistic community, Dr. Dixon’s character was viewed as very stereotypical in some aspects and unrealistic in others. She has focused interests such as her fixation with the heart; she repeats facts about the first heart surgery repeatedly to other doctors. She also has a strict discipline to follow rules and cannot break them. In “Break Your Heart Out,” she exhibits sensory overload as sudden news is brought to her attention and a stranger attempts to hug her. Following her fit she asks two doctors to hug her, explaining that the physical pressure over large parts of her body will slow her heart and calm her sympathetic nervous system. While it feels logical and well supported in the episode, to the unknown eye it is not a realistic portrayal of the “hugging machines” used on people with autism.

It is her extreme lack of emotion, however, that is found most offensive to the autistic community. Dr. Dixon cannot emotionally connect with the patients to such an extent that when a 16 year old girl goes brain-dead on the operating table, she says “this is good news” since she will be an excellent candidate for organ donation. Breaking the news to the girl’s family was equally cold. Her interactions with other doctors showed the public’s lack of understanding of Asperger’s, as even the respected Dr. Bailey was called out for insulting her. Certainly the one positive moment of Dr. Dixon’s time at Seattle Grace was this moment when she told Dr. Bailey that she may not perceive condescension or sarcasm, but she knows when she is being deceived or made fun of and does not like it. A saving grace for the program, which previously was perceived as insulting those with autism, this incident made it obvious that the show was merely depicting the lack of knowledge about the disorder. Dr. Bailey was put in her place. So while the show did not present an accurate or positive portrayal of someone with Asperger’s Syndrome, at least their intentions were good.

Articles to read further:

A Hugging Machine to Help Autistic Kids - http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=3366089

Calming Effects of Deep Pressure etc. - http://www.grandin.com/inc/squeeze.html

Negative Reviews of Dr. Dixon - http://www.karianna.us/blog/archives/2009/02/autism_grey_anatomy_aspergers_3.html

http://www.karianna.us/blog/archives/2008/12/mcdonnell_offends_and_annoys_a.html

Shelbi Jay

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